


Hard to Get

by kunoichihatake



Category: Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:28:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 18,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24256657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunoichihatake/pseuds/kunoichihatake
Summary: Y/n gets stuck working on a project with Sasuke Uchiha, the guy that every other girl is in love with but whom y/n thinks is just a major prick.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back, but I'll be posting mostly Naruto fics now -- I'm just not really into Hamilton anymore, unfortunately. I've created a new tumblr @kunoichihatake if anyone wants to follow! I'll be posting fics there first, along w/ other fandom related things, so I'd love if you checked it out (: enjoy!
> 
> Prompt: none  
> A/n: this is my first Naruto fic ahh! so excited to be posting it but definitely a little nervous. let me know your thoughts! I’ll be posting chapter 2 soon and we’ll see where this goes from there (: also this is a high school au because I’m too lazy to try to make up a ninja school project and all that mess  
> If you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

“Oh my gosh guys, Sasuke’s coming over here!”

“Quick, how does my hair look?”

“As dull as always.”

“Shut  _ up _ , Sakura!”

“Both of you should shut up before he hears your bickering.” You rolled your eyes at Sakura and Ino. You really didn’t understand their obsession with the dark-haired boy. Every girl in your grade seemed to be head over heels for him, but all you saw was a moody, conceited teenage prick. 

“Good morning, y/n.” Sasuke stopped directly in front of your desk at the back of the classroom. You lifted your gaze from the floor, your eyes trailing up his body to meet his own dark eyes. “You look lovely today.”

“I look the same as I do every day.” You gestured to your school uniform.

“You seem to have an extra...twinkle in your eye today. I like that.” He winked and walked away toward his seat at the front of the room, and without even looking you knew Sakura and Ino had melted into blushing messes.  _ What a jackass.  _

“Y/n, you’re so lucky,” Ino whined, twirling a lock of her blond hair around her finger. “I’d kill to get such a compliment from Sasuke.”

“It wasn’t a compliment,” you mumbled. “He’s just being a prick.”

Sakura gasped. “He’s not a prick!” Heads turned, and she turned red as she realized how loud she had spoken. Sasuke didn’t turn around, but you knew he was smirking.  _ Asshole _ . 

“Good morning, class.” Iruka-sensei strolled into the room, cheerful and oblivious to the drama of his students as always. “Take your seats.” As everyone sat down, he crossed to the board and wrote “Final Project.”  _ Shit, it was time for that already? _

“The final project is due a month and a half from now, so I’m going to go ahead and assign the pairs.” 

“Oh my gosh, I wanna be with Sasuke  _ so _ bad,” Ino whispered. 

“Tough luck, because I’m gonna be with Sasuke,” Sakura whispered back, and was met with a burning glare from Ino. As usual, you sat between them, trying to ignore their ridiculousness. 

“Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.” You chuckled internally.  _ Serves them right.  _ They were your best friends, but you had begun to get pretty annoyed with how obsessed they were with Sasuke. Sakura and Ino both visibly deflated. 

“Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara.”

“What do you mean, I’m partners with him? He’s the laziest person in the whole class!”

“What a drag.”

“Sasuke Uchiha and Y/n L/n.” Your heart plummeted into your stomach.  _ You have got to be shitting me. Anyone but him… _ You felt the angry glares of every girl in class, jealous that you got to work with their crush, and saw Sasuke turn around and hit you with that signature smirk. 

“Holy shit, y/n, you’re so lucky!” Sakura whispered, and Ino nodded. You sunk down in your chair and covered your face with your hands.  _ Why me? _

Iruka finished reading off the rest of the pairs. “I’ll give you guys some time to chat with your partners — we won’t be spending time on this in class, so you’ll have to meet up outside of school. I suggest you exchange phone numbers.” He smiled brightly, and you felt you had never wanted to punch a man more in your life. 

“Hey, y/n.” Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of you, and you lifted your head to look into his face, adorned with a cocky grin. “Guess you really lucked out, getting to be partners with me.”

“Shut up,” you grumbled. You were sick of him already. 

Sasuke only smiled wider, and handed you a folded piece of paper, making sure to brush your hand in such a way that you knew Sakura and Ino — who were of course watching his every move — would be jealous. “Here’s my number. Guess you’ll be needing it now, huh?” You rolled your eyes. “What are you doing Saturday? We could grab lunch and brainstorm project ideas.” He ended his sentence with a little wink, and you fumed. 

“I have plans,” you said. It was true — you had agreed to get lunch with Sakura and Ino. 

“Oh no, if you need to cancel on us, it’s totally fine!” Ino grinned brightly at you. “Sakura and I need to work on our project anyway, so we can just reschedule!”

“Yeah, y/n, it’s totally fine!” Sakura chimed in. You swore you hated them both in that moment.

“Well in that case, I guess I’ll be seeing you Saturday,” Sasuke said, with a voice smooth like silk and a cocky grin that you wished you could wipe off his stupid face. “I’ll see you at Ichiraku Ramen at 12?”

“Fine,” you grumbled.  _ This is going to be a long month and a half. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this next chapter! I know these are kinda short ugh but don't worry, the story will be plenty long (;  
> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

It was 11:45 when you strolled up to Ichiraku Ramen, and Sasuke was already seated at the counter.  _ Damn, he got here early _ .

“Hey, y/n,” he grinned. You didn’t return the smile as you sat down at the ramen bar. “Order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

“This isn’t a date, Sasuke,” you said, annoyed already. “I’ll pay for myself.” He merely shrugged.

“If you insist, princess.” You felt your face burn.  _ Asshole _ .

You placed an order, and after a few moments, both dishes arrived. You and Sasuke sat and ate in an uncomfortable silence. You knew he was relishing in your annoyance, but you were able to at least enjoy the quiet for a few moments.  _ He’s a lot more tolerable when he’s not being snarky, _ you thought.  _ Maybe that’s why all the girls like him -- he’s usually silent toward everyone else _ . You snuck a few looks at him while you ate. The 16-year-old was tall and lean, with smooth, pale skin that showed no signs of the teenage blemishes that everyone else seemed to suffer from. His long, dark hair framed the sides of his face, contrasting perfectly with his porcelain skin. You had to admit, he was attractive. Especially when he wasn’t smirking, like he was now.

“What are you staring at, princess?” Sasuke’s voice snapped you back into reality, and you fumed. “Enjoying the view?”

“Shut up,” you grumbled, and turned your attention back to your nearly empty bowl of ramen.

He chuckled, and turned his face away from yours, which you were grateful for. You hated when he stared at you. “So, have you thought of any ideas for the final project yet?” You blinked, not expecting him to switch gears to something serious so soon.

“I, uh, was thinking we could do the legend of the nine-tailed fox? I think it would be an interesting presentation.” You silently prayed he wouldn’t shut your idea down; you had spent many hours thinking about the project, trying to prepare yourself as much as possible so you could get it over with quickly.

Sasuke smiled at you, only half snarkily this time. “I was thinking about doing the history and legacy of the Uchiha clan, but your idea is pretty good too.”  _ Of course he’d want to do his own family, the stuck-up bastard _ . “Let’s go with your idea.” You nearly dropped your chopsticks, and turned to gape at the boy.  _ My idea? Why would he go with my idea so easily? _

“Um, yeah, okay, sure,” you stuttered. His smile turned into a smirk again, and you turned to your now-empty bowl once more.  _ He’s just trying to get a reaction out of me. Of course. _

“I mean, as long as you weren’t planning to talk to Naruto about it. I know he’s obsessed with the nine-tails, but he’s intolerably obnoxious.” 

You chuckled. “Agreed. He’s a nice kid, but I think I would lose my mind if I were stuck with him on this project. Poor Shikamaru.”

“Would he be a worse partner than me?” You looked into Sasuke’s eyes and saw his question was sincere.  _ Does he actually care how I feel about him? _ You gave him a warm smile.

“You’re definitely not the worst partner I could’ve gotten,” you said, and watched warmth spill into his eyes. “Not because of your personality though, because I still think you’re a cocky jerk. But you’re like the smartest guy in class, and since everyone loves you, our peer evaluations are going to be amazing, so…” You trailed off, but the slight smile that had formed on his face never left. You felt your own cheeks warming at the sight.

_ Shit. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

“So, y/n, how was your date with Sasuke?” Sakura asked the next morning on the walk to school. The two of you lived on the same street, so you always walked together, and met up with Ino outside the school under the big cherry blossom tree. The three of you had kept up this routine since you started high school two years ago, and you always looked forward to your morning ritual of sitting with your best friends -- even if all they did recently was drool over Sasuke. “It must have been magical.” She sighed dreamily, staring off into the distance, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes.

“It wasn’t a date,” you corrected. “And it went fine, I guess. We figured out our project topic.”

“Ooh, what are you doing? Ino and I are doing profiles of the most famous kunoichi in ancient Konoha.”

“We’re doing the legend of the nine-tails.” 

“That’s really cool! But won’t Naruto be doing that too, though? I mean, he’s practically obsessed with it.” Sakura wrinkled her nose, and you laughed.

“He’s also stuck with Shikamaru, and I’m not sure he’d agree to such a lofty project. But I guess we’ll see,” you shrugged. You really didn’t care if the two of you did the same project; you knew that having Sasuke, the top student in your class, working with you would make yours the more comprehensive of the two projects, if not as flashy.  _ I really did luck out, huh _ .  _ And he’s not as unbearable as I thought... _

“Earth to y/n!” Sakura waved a hand in front of your face, giving you a knowing smile. “What are you daydreaming about?” You felt your face grow warm.

“Uh, nothing, just thinking about the project is all.” 

Sakura chuckled. “Don’t go falling for my man, you got it, y/n?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” you said, but something about your heart beating a little too hard in your chest made you doubt your own words.

* * *

The bell rang, signifying that there was only 10 minutes until class started, and you, Sakura, and Ino made your way into the classroom. You walked into your homeroom only to find Sasuke sitting at your desk.

“You certainly took a while to get here,” Sasuke remarked boredly, not looking up from the pages of his textbook. “I was hoping to work on our project a bit before school, but it seems that you are not as studious as I’d hoped.”

Your face burned. “If you wanted to work on the project, maybe you should have texted me.”

“I did,” he replied immediately. You pulled out your phone to prove him wrong, but the moment the screen turned on, you saw he had sent you a message nearly 30 minutes ago.  _ “I’m in the classroom. Want to work on the project for a while? You can bring your friends too (;” _ You fumed at the last part.  _ What a prick. And I was just beginning to think he wasn’t that bad...  _ “Maybe you should check your phone.”

“Shut up,” you glared at Sasuke. He gently dog-eared the corner of the page he was reading and stood up, pushing in your chair. He turned and smiled at you.

“I guess we’ll just have to have a study date after school then. Is that okay with you, princess?” You swore smoke was coming out of your ears.

“Fine by me, asshole.” 

A slight smile spread across Sasuke’s face, part snarky and part something else you couldn’t quite read. “Perfect. I’ll see you in the library 10 minutes after the last bell then. Don’t keep me waiting again.” He walked away breezily, leaving you standing in shock and clenching your fists.  _ Who does he think he is? _

“Since when does he call you princess?” Ino said quietly, and you looked to see both your friends awestruck by the mere sight of their beloved Sasuke. You swore they actually had hearts in their eyes.  _ Geez _ .

“It’s sarcastic. He knows I hate it,” you said, crossing over to your desk and pulling your chair back out.  _ He couldn’t even leave the chair pulled out for me. What a gentleman. _

“I don’t know, y/n,” Sakura said. “Something seems a little...different. Did something happen Saturday?” 

You furrowed your eyebrows at her. “No.”  _ At least, I don’t think anything happened. _

Ino sat at her desk next to you and placed a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, you still have to tell us everything that happened Saturday! We need details, missy.” You sighed, but something about recounting your date with Sasuke seemed to tug at your heart strings.  _ Wait, date? What am I thinking? _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

“Glad to see you didn’t keep me waiting this time,” Sasuke scoffed as soon as you walked over to his table in the library. He had an uncanny ability to know exactly when you came into the same room without even having to look up, and it was a bit unsettling if you were being honest.

“Sorry about this morning,” you said, pulling out the chair across from him and setting your backpack down. “Sakura, Ino and I have a tradition of meeting up before school, so--”

“I know,” he said, looking up for the first time to give you a small smile. You were taken aback.  _ What does he mean, ‘I know?’  _ “I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while.” You flushed, your heart beginning to pound in your chest.

“Well that’s not totally creepy or anything,” you mumbled, pulling out your books. Sasuke laughed lightly.

“I just find you intriguing,” he said quietly, and you suddenly became aware of the fact that you were in an otherwise entirely quiet library and that your heart was pounding so loud you could barely hear his voice.  _ What is wrong with me?  _ “You’re the only girl in class who doesn’t seem to be obsessed with me, and I’ve been trying to figure out why.” His dark eyes studied you, and you looked away from his gaze, opening your book to the page you had marked.

“I just don’t think you’re that great, is all,” you said quietly, almost unable to make the words leave your mouth.  _ I must be dehydrated or something, that’s why I feel so funny _ . You pulled out your water bottle and took a long sip.

“Really,” Sasuke said, sounding almost hurt. You looked back up at him.  _ He doesn’t seem as confident as before. Shit, I must have hurt his feelings or something _ .

“I mean, you’re not terrible or anything,” you scrambled to find the right words to cheer him up without inflating that damned ego of his even more. “I just...don’t understand why the other girls are so obsessed with you, ya know? You’re just another human, not some perfect god or anything.” 

Sasuke chuckled. “You know, I really appreciate that, y/n.” You looked up at him, furrowing your brow, but he was staring out the window, eyes not seeming to focus on anything particular. “I feel like everyone else thinks I’m perfect, and it’s really stressful, if I’m being honest. I don’t really have any friends because all the girls are too smitten to see the real me and all the guys are jealous and just waiting for me to fail.” 

You found yourself reaching across the library table and placing your hand on top of his. His hand was pleasantly warm, soft yet strong from hours of hard studying and from his constant strength training as the star of the school soccer team. He turned to look at you once more, and you smiled warmly, meeting his surprised eyes. “I’m your friend, Sasuke.” 

He chuckled genially, his eyes sparkling with the compliment. “I thought you hated me,” he said quietly, and you swore you saw his cheeks turn the slightest bit red. You shook your head.

“I mean, you still kind of drive me nuts, but I understand you a bit better now, so I guess I’ll let it slide.” He smiled brightly, looking down at your hands, and you realized you had never removed your hand from atop his. He turned his hand over, grasping yours gently.

“It’s nice to have a friend,” he said. Butterflies danced in your stomach, and your face warmed.  _ Why am I so flustered? I guess I need to start drinking more water _ . You smiled once more, squeezing his hand.

“Glad to be of service,” you said, listening to the pounding beat of your heart as you looked into the boy’s warm face.  _ Friends. We’re friends now. Is that what I wanted? _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

“Mind if I sit?” You looked up, startled by the familiar voice. It was about half an hour before the first bell rang, and you, Sakura, and Ino were sitting in your regular spot under the cherry blossom tree outside the school. Sasuke stood in front of you, illuminated by the light of the sun shining behind him.

“Yeah sure, go right ahead!” Sakura babbled.  _ They just can’t keep themselves from drooling over him, huh? _

“Actually, I was asking y/n,” Sasuke said coolly.

“I mean, I guess,” you said, furrowing your eyebrows. “But I’m not working on that project right now. This is my social time.”

Sasuke shrugged. “Fine by me.” He sat down right next to you, and though he was no closer than Ino was on your other side, you were acutely aware of the heat of his body next to yours, and of every movement he made. You tried to shake off the odd anxiety of Sasuke sitting by your side, and turned to Ino and Sakura to continue your conversation, but found Ino whispering something in Sakura’s ear. You raised your eyebrows at them, but Ino only shook her head gently at you, as if you wouldn’t understand.

“So, Ino and Sakura, how’s your project going?” Sasuke said, sounding as if he felt a bit awkward.

“It’s going well,” Sakura smiled. “It’s a lot of work, but I think our topic is really interesting, so at least it’s not excruciating. How about you guys?”

Sasuke nodded. “We’re doing well. We’d probably have more done if someone didn’t want to socialize so much, but we’ve still gotten a lot done.” You turned to Sasuke to retort, but he was smiling genially, and your anger faded away.

“Well, we can’t just be holed up in the library all the time. You’ve got to spend some time with friends, you know.” You raised your eyebrows at Sasuke, and you saw something flash across his eyes -- hurt?  _ That’s right, I’m his only real friend. He said so himself.  _ You placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re welcome to hang out with us anytime, Sasuke. Just promise you won’t talk about the project when we’re trying to relax?”

Sasuke’s cheeks turned up into a small grin, and you were flooded with warmth.  _ There, I made it better _ . “As long as you promise to focus on the project when we’re actually working.”

“What? I was totally working on the project the whole time, jerk.” You moved your hand off his shoulder, rolling your eyes, and Sasuke let out a little laugh. 

“Ahem, y/n,” Ino teased, and you turned to look back at your two female friends. “Did you two forget about us? We’re still here, you know.” Sakura nodded, a knowing smile on her face.

“Of course we didn’t forget,” Sasuke teased back, grinning. “Are you guys ready for the math test today?” Ino turned a deep shade of red.

“Wait, we had a test?” You, Sakura, and Sasuke laughed in unison, and you found yourself quite happy to find that your project partner seemed to fit in perfectly with your friends.  _ Even if they both have disgustingly obvious crushes on him _ .


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

“Y/n,” Sasuke asked as you walked into the classroom, “what are you doing Friday night?” Everyone in the class turned to look at the two of you, and your face burned. You kept your head down and rushed to your desk, Sasuke following you.

“For the record,” you hissed as you sat down, “you can’t just ask for my weekend plans that loudly.”

“Why not?” You fixed him with a steely gaze.  _ Is he playing dumb, or what? _

“Because,” you whispered, “every girl in this class is already insanely jealous that you’re my project partner, and if they think we’re hanging out and getting close, they’ll crucify me.”

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. “I can fix that,” he said quietly, and then loudly: “Attention class 2B. I am not romantically interested in Y/n L/n in any way. I am only asking for her weekend plans so we can work on our project together. Thank you for your time.” He turned back to you, smirking in satisfaction, and you felt like your face was on fire.

“Way to embarrass me, asshole,” you said.  _ That stupid cocky grin _ . Sasuke only shrugged.

“I was setting the record straight for you. Now no one is going to want to kill you because they think I’m interested in you. You’re welcome.”  _ I’m going to slap that grin off his face one of these days, I swear _ . “Anyways, you never answered my question.”

You sighed. “I’m doing nothing Friday night, so I guess we can work on the project together. We still have over a month to do it, though, so I don’t know why you’re trying to get so much done in only the first week.”

He shrugged. “I like to be prepared. I have a reputation to uphold as the top student, you know.” He winked. _I’m going to kill him_. “Why don’t you come home with me after school on Friday? I live alone, so we’ll have no distractions. I’ll even pay for takeout if we get hungry.” Your heart stopped. _Sasuke wants me to come over? And he lives alone?_ You tried to swallow, but your throat felt dry.

“Yeah, sure,” you said. “But only because you offered to buy takeout.”

Sasuke smiled, and you saw that it was a real smile, not a snarky one. “If buying you takeout is the price I pay for getting a few hours of your undivided attention on this project, then I’m fine with it.”

You smiled back at him. “Deal.”

* * *

The week passed too slowly and too quickly all at once, and then it was Friday afternoon. The last bell rang, and you left your English class, walking around the halls and hoping to catch a glimpse of Sasuke.  _ I’m such a dumbass. I didn’t even ask what his last period was _ . You had just given up all hope of finding him when a voice whispered in your ear.

“Boo,” it said, and you jumped. You whipped around to find Sasuke behind you, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. “I found you.”

“Asshole, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Sasuke smiled, clearly enjoying himself.

“If you have a heart attack, we’ll never get this project done,” he teased. He grabbed your elbow, and you felt your skin tingle at his touch. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Sasuke guided you by the elbow through the crowded halls, and you eventually emerged outside the school. He dropped his hand, and your skin felt cold instantly.  _ Weird. _

“So,” you started, “which way do you live?” Sasuke stopped and looked at you with a mocking smile.

“Well, I was just walking there, so you were about to find out.” Your cheeks burned.

“You don’t have to be a jerk about it,” you said quietly, and walked to his side. Sasuke grinned slightly, and the two of you started off, presumably in the direction of his house.

After a few moments of walking in silence, you decided to ask a question that had been bugging you. “Sasuke, why do you seem to enjoy pissing me off so much?” Sasuke smiled, looking up at the clear blue sky as he walked.

“Simply because you’re funny when you get mad,” he said.

“Yeah, but it’s not nice to make people angry. You should know that.” Sasuke turned his head to look at you, fixing his dark eyes on yours.

“I’m sorry, y/n,” he said, and you could tell he was being at least somewhat sincere. “It’s just nice to get a reaction out of a girl that isn’t pure drool, is all.” You laughed at this despite yourself.

“What if I just started drooling over you, huh?” you teased. Sasuke groaned. “Oh Sasuke, I just  _ love _ when you talk to me like I’m worth less than a doormat. You’re  _ sooo _ sexy.”

“Shut up, you’re hurting my ears.” You laughed, and were happily met with a laugh from Sasuke as well.

“So you like that I’m immune to your charms, huh?” You smiled, and the dark-haired boy smiled at you in return.

“For sure,” he said. “It’s nice to have a sane person to hang around. I really appreciate you, y/n. Even if you do look like you’re ready to punch me at any given moment.”

You shrugged breezily, ignoring the way your heartbeat sped up. “I appreciate you too, Sasuke. Even though I am ready to punch you at any moment.” He let out a little laugh at that, a brief note of music to your ears.

“Thanks, y/n.” He bumped you with his elbow, and you shoved your elbow back at him, but he moved out of the way, almost making you fall on the ground. You straightened up and grinned at him.

“No problem, jerk.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

Sasuke unlocked the door to his house and the two of you entered, your heart pounding in your chest.  _ I’ve never been to a boy’s house before _ . Even though you knew it was for strictly school-related reasons, you couldn’t help but feel anxious. You had never been alone with a boy like this.  _ It’s just Sasuke, _ you tried to reassure yourself.  _ There’s nothing to worry about _ . But somehow, you weren’t convinced.

You and Sasuke stopped at the door to remove your shoes, and you took a look around. The house was small and meticulously neat, every surface scrubbed perfectly clean and free of clutter. 

“You seem surprised,” Sasuke said coolly, crossing over to one of the cabinets and grabbing a glass from its neatly organized shelves. You noticed he didn’t have much: only a couple of plates, a couple of glasses, etc. He turned back to you, holding one of the glasses. “Water?” You nodded, closing your mouth, which had been hanging open in shock at how tidy the place was. You hadn’t expected Sasuke to be messy, per se -- you had seen his school books, and they were always neatly arranged -- but you didn’t expect him to be  _ this _ tidy. It made his home feel almost impersonal, any sign that someone was living there wiped away.

Sasuke walked back over to you with the glass of water, and you took it from his hand. “Thanks,” you said, and took a long sip. He held his own glass and looked around his home, as if he were seeing it with new eyes.

“You didn’t expect me to be this neat, huh?” he asked, taking a sip of his own glass. Your face burned with embarrassment.  _ I didn’t mean to gawk so badly _ .

“I mean, I didn’t think you  _ weren’t _ neat, necessarily,” you babbled, “just didn’t expect it to be this tidy.” You finished quietly, unsure of where to go from there. Sasuke gave you a small smile.

“Well, I’d like to think I keep the place tidy.” He had a look on his face that you couldn’t quite read, and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Do you live alone?” you asked gently. Sasuke took a long sip of water, not looking you in the eye.

“Yeah,” he said, after a moment. “My parents passed away when I was really young, so I’ve just been on my own.” You stared in shock.  _ I never realized _ …

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” you said quietly. Sasuke shook his head.

“It’s fine. My brother lived with me until a few years ago and helped take care of me, but he’s gone now, too.” You weren’t sure if he meant his brother was dead or left, but you decided not to push the issue. You placed a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, and he looked at you slightly surprised, as if you had snapped him out of a daydream.

“Well, I’m here now,” you said, smiling. Sasuke hesitated, then smiled back at you. “I mean, I can’t exactly raise you, but I can be around so you’re not lonely.” Sasuke placed his hand on top of yours and squeezed gently.

“Thank you, Y/n,” he said, his eyes sparkling. They looked slightly damp, but he blinked and turned away. “Well, it’s already almost 4. Why don’t we quit wasting time and start working on the project?” You chuckled lightly, and nodded.  _ Always wanting to work on that damn project _ .

You followed Sasuke through the living room and watched him open a door.  _ Oh god, that’s his bedroom _ . You felt your face burn.  _ I’ve never even been to a guy’s house before, and now he wants me to go into his bedroom? This is too much… _ Sasuke turned back and looked at you, standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room, not moving. “Well, are you coming?” he asked.

“D-do we have to work in your bedroom? I mean, you’ve got a perfectly good table in the kitchen…” you fidgeted nervously, not daring to look him in the eye. 

“My desk is in my room, and it has the best lighting at this time of day,” he said matter-of-factly. “Just come on.” He walked into the room and you swallowed, taking a deep breath and following him in. His room was as neat as the rest of the house, the walls painted a clean white with no decorations. You would expect a boy his age to have plastered them with posters, but this was Sasuke, and he certainly wasn’t your average 16-year-old guy.

“You’re staring again.” Sasuke had crossed to his desk and set down his book bag, and was pulling out the books needed for the project and setting them neatly on the desk.  _ Is everything he does so meticulous? How have I not realized that yet?  _ “My desk is big enough for the both of us, so you can just bring in a chair from the kitchen.” 

“Isn’t it the man’s job to pull out a chair for the lady?” you teased, and Sasuke turned and stared at you.

“You sound like Ino,” he remarked bluntly. “You aren’t falling in love with me too, are you?”

Your face burned. “Absolutely not,” you grumbled, and turned around to go grab the chair -- but not before you saw the smirk on Sasuke’s face.  _ Stupid Sasuke _ , you thought.  _ Why would I fall for him? _


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!  
> ALSO -- I've started writing headcanons (and will take requests for those as well), but I'm not planning to post them here -- so check out my tumblr if you want to see those!

Hours had passed since the two of you began on the project, and you peered out Sasuke’s window to see that night had fallen, thick and dark. “Shit, it’s late.” You turned around and saw that Sasuke had moved from his seat at the desk to lay atop his bed, arms stretched above his head, causing his uniform shirt to ride up his torso and expose a small rectangle of pale skin. Your face burned red, and you thanked your lucky stars that his eyes were closed so he couldn’t see you blush.  _ What is he, trying to seduce me? Geez _ .

“You can stay the night, if you’d like,” Sasuke said casually, and your face grew redder. “My couch is quite comfortable.”

“No, I’ll be fine at my own house, thank you very much,” you sputtered, beginning to put your books away in your bag. Sasuke opened an eye to watch you lazily, not moving from his position strewn across the bed.

“I’ll walk you home then,” he said, standing up and beginning to gather the trash leftover from the takeout you two had ordered for dinner. 

“Fine,” you said, trying to hide your relief. You really didn’t want to walk home at this time of night alone, and were glad Sasuke would be with you to keep you safe.  _ I mean, he’s a pretty good soccer player, so at least if we got in a fight or something he could just kick the shit out of the other guy. _ You laughed quietly to yourself.

“What is it?” Sasuke asked, and you turned around, meeting his confused look. His clothes and hair were slightly rumpled, and your heartbeat picked up ever so slightly.  _ Why am I nervous _ ?

“Nothing,” you said, zipping up your backpack and slinging it over your shoulder. “Is that everything?” Sasuke nodded, and you headed toward his front door, Sasuke turning out his bedroom light and following behind you. The two of you put your shoes on, not talking, and headed out into the night.

“Where do you live?” Sasuke asked, and you smirked, remembering your conversation about where he lived earlier that day.

“You’ll just have to find out,” you said, smirking, and started off in the direction of your house. Sasuke picked up his pace to walk beside you. The night was dark and clear, and the stars sprinkled across the sky like freckles shone brightly. You looked up at the sky, taking in the view, and in your peripheral vision you could see Sasuke doing the same. He looked so peaceful in that moment, more so than you had ever seen him at school, and you felt your chest grow warm.

“Thanks for coming over to work on the project today,” Sasuke said quietly, breaking a long silence. “I know you probably have plenty of other things you’d rather be doing on a Friday night.” You shook your head gently, smiling at him.

“My Friday night plans usually consist of eating ice cream and watching a rom-com, so it’s not like I missed out on much.” Sasuke stared at you, surprised, and a small smile spread across his face.

“Really? I thought you’d be the type to be invited to a ton of parties and stuff.” You furrowed your brows at him, searching his face to see if he was joking, but saw that he was genuine. You shook your head.

“No, I’m really not popular like that,” you said with a small laugh. “Ino and Sakura are really my only friends, so if we’re not hanging out I don’t have any plans. Oh, and you’re my friend, now, of course,” you rushed to add, worried you’d hurt his feelings, “but you don’t seem like the partying type either.” Sasuke shook his head, looking away to hide a smile you caught spreading across his face.

“I think it’s stupid to party at this age, honestly. It’s a waste of time, and it just turns people into something they’re not.” You stared at him, but he kept his gaze on the ground, not looking at you. 

“I agree,” you said. “It’s much more fun to spend time with actual friends doing something together, like watching a movie or working on a school project.” You nudged him with your elbow, and Sasuke raised his head to look at you again, smiling widely. You couldn’t help but smile back at him; his smile was infectious.

“Y’know,” you said, and paused for a moment.  _ Should I say this? Or is it crossing a line?  _ “I wish you’d smile more, honestly. You’re always so brooding at school, but your smile is so beautiful, and it makes me want to smile too. I just wish other people got to see how lovely you look.” Your face burned again, and you looked away, not wanting him to see how flustered you felt.  _ Shit, what is wrong with me? I can’t even compliment him without blushing.  _ You saw Sasuke break into a wide grin out of the corner of your eye, the largest one yet, and your heart pounded faster.

“I’ll try to smile more,” he said, “just for you. I usually try to hide it because I don’t want the girls to fall even deeper in love with me, but--” you elbowed him in the side, and he stepped away, staring at you in playful offense. “Hey, what was that for?”

“You were being cocky again,” you said, and he launched an elbow back at you. You jumped away, just missing it, and you both laughed. “Ooh, I’m Sasuke, and I think I’m sooo sexy.” Sasuke jumped at you again, and you darted away, letting him chase you down the sidewalk.

“Come back here, Y/n!” he said, and you ran as quickly as you could, but the soccer player quickly caught up to you, his hand reaching out and pushing your back. You nearly fell over, but managed to catch your balance, and paused on the sidewalk, breathing heavily.

“I am way too out of shape for this,” you laughed, panting, and Sasuke laughed as well, standing next to you and catching his own breath. 

“I’ll just have to work you into shape then,” he said with a wink, and the pounding in your chest returned.

“What does that even mean?” you asked, but before you could get an answer, your front door swung open to reveal your mom standing there, staring at the two of you. You hadn’t even realized you had made it to your house yet, but there you were, standing directly in front of it.

“Y/n, there you are! I was beginning to get worried,” your mom said. She fixed her gaze on Sasuke, who was still standing next to you. “Who’s this?” 

You straightened up, wiping your sweaty hands on your knees. “Uh, this is Sasuke Uchiha, he’s my partner for a school project. Sasuke, this is my mom.” Sasuke nodded at your mom politely.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. L/n.” Your mom grinned.

“It’s good to meet you too, Sasuke. Would you like to come inside for a glass of water? Looks like you two tired yourselves out.” 

Sasuke shook his head politely. “No thank you, ma’am, I better get heading home for the night.”

“Oh, would you like me to drive you home? It’s awful dark,” your mom offered, but Sasuke merely shook his head again.

“No thank you, I’ll be okay.” He turned to you and smiled, and you felt breathless all over again.  _ I really need to get into shape _ . “I’ll see you later, Y/n,” he said, turning to walk away.

“Bye, Sasuke,” you called, and walked up the steps to your front door. Your mom smiled as she let you in and closed the door behind you.

“That Sasuke is kind of cute, isn’t he?” Your cheeks burned at your mom’s comment, and you looked away, taking off your shoes.

“I guess,” you mumbled.  _ God, even my mom thinks he’s cute.  _

Your mom gave you a knowing smile, and walked into the kitchen. “Leftovers are in the fridge if you want dinner. I’m going to get ready for bed. Oh, and Y/n?”

You looked up. “Yes, mom?”

“Why don’t you invite Sasuke over here to study next time? I’d like to keep an eye on the two of you.” She winked and walked upstairs, and your face burned. 

“It’s not like that--” you called, but she was already out of earshot. You sighed.  _ It isn’t like that, right?  _ You remembered Sasuke’s remark about “working you out” and grew more flustered.  _ I’m growing less and less sure _ . You shook off the thoughts of Sasuke and headed upstairs, hoping a good night’s rest would clear your head.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

“Hey, Y/n,” Sasuke said. You were sitting under the cherry blossom tree, enjoying your lunch. Sakura and Ino, who normally joined you, were both busy; Sakura was studying for a test next period in the library (“where I won’t be distracted”) and Ino was making up part of a lab that she had missed the previous week due to being sick. You didn’t mind their absence too much -- now you had Sasuke to sit with, so you weren’t all alone. You had grown to enjoy the boy’s presence quite a lot, and based on how much time he spent hanging out with you, he enjoyed your presence, too.

“Yeah?” 

“Would you like to get dinner with me again?” You looked at Sasuke, who was still staring down at his lunch box, and smiled.

“If you want to work on the project over dinner, you don’t need to be so nervous about asking me, you know.”

“I, uh, didn’t want to work on the project, actually,” he mumbled. You stared at Sasuke, who still wasn’t looking at you, and you swore you saw a slight blush creep up his cheeks. “I thought we could just get dinner and relax...as friends, of course.” You felt as if someone had hit the butterflies in your stomach with a rock, but shook the feeling off.  _ I’ve been feeling so weird recently...I wonder why? Maybe I’m coming down with whatever Ino had. _

“You want to just hang out and not work on the project? Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” you teased, and this time you definitely saw Sasuke turn bright red. He took another bite of his lunch, still not looking you in the eye, and you felt guilty, as if you hurt his feelings. “I’m just kidding, Sasuke. I’d love to get dinner with you.” He looked up at you, his face flustered, as if he were searching your eyes for signs of deceit.

“Really?”

“Yeah!” you said, smiling. You were glad to see Sasuke smile back at you. “It’s a date!” You immediately regretted your words as you felt yourself turn red. “I mean, it’s not a date, but like...a friend date, ya know?”

Sasuke smirked, turning back to his lunch. “I told you, don’t go falling in love with me, Y/n.” Your face burned.

“You don’t have to worry about that, asshole.” You turned to your own lunch, missing the slight smile that spread across Sasuke’s face.

* * *

“Wait, Sasuke asked you on a date? Holy shit!” School had ended, and you, Sakura and Ino had gone straight to Ino’s house to watch the newest episode of  _ Icha Icha _ that premiered late the night before. Since it was such an  _ adult _ show, it came on too late for you to watch together on a school night, so you just tried your best to avoid spoilers until the three of you could go to Ino’s after school the next day and watch it together. Her parents were never home at this time, since the flower shop didn’t close until 6, so you were safe to watch all the makeout-filled episodes you wanted.

“It’s not a date,” you huffed, “we’re just getting dinner as friends.” You thought of Sasuke, and felt bad for leaving him all alone after school. He had seen you, Sakura and Ino head off together, and had raced to catch up, asking if he could join; but to your surprise, Sakura and Ino turned him down, claiming this as “girl time.” You reassured him that he could hang out with you next time, but you still felt guilty for leaving him behind, and the sad look on his face as the three of you walked away was imprinted in your brain.

“Then why are you zoning out thinking about him again?” Sakura teased, and you shook your head, growing flustered.

“I wasn’t!” Ino and Sakura only laughed, and you turned away, grumpy.  _ Why does everyone seem to think I’m falling for Sasuke? We’re just friends, for goodness’s sake. _

“Alright, you guys ready to watch the show?” Ino asked, controller in hand, and you and Sakura nodded excitedly. You grabbed the bowl of popcorn from the table and munched, trying to enjoy the show but wishing the whole time that Sasuke was there too, despite your best efforts to forget about him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone sent me an ask on tumblr saying I should add Karin to the story so I obliged (; if you have any comments/suggestions/etc. feel free to let me know! I love hearing what you guys think of my works 🥰  
> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open!

Saturday evening was your dinner “date” with Sasuke, and Ino and Sakura insisted on coming over to your house beforehand to help you get ready. You had told them a million times that he had only asked you to dinner as a friend, but they wouldn’t listen. Somehow, they weren’t as jealous as you thought they’d be at the idea that Sasuke would ask you out; you supposed they had instead decided to live vicariously through you. Based on how much of a fuss they made about your appearance, you were probably correct.

“I think you should wear the pink one,” Sakura said, holding up a frilly pink sundress. “You would be cute as a doll!” You shuddered at the thought, and shook your head.

“I don’t want to look like a doll,” you said. “I want to look normal so he doesn’t think I got the wrong idea.” Ino and Sakura exchanged a look.

“You’re not getting the wrong idea,” Ino said. “Trust us, we’ve seen how he acts around you. He treats you different than he does any other girl.”

“Even Karin,” Sakura chimed in, putting the pink dress back in the closet and looking through the rest of your clothes.

You sighed. “He treats me differently because I’m his friend, not one of his fangirls. No offense. And what happened with Karin?” You knew of Karin -- you had English class with her the semester before -- but didn’t know much about her other than that she was extremely critical of all the literature you read. If there was a flaw to be found, Karin would find it and point it out. Other than that somewhat annoying trait, you didn’t mind her.

Ino smiled at you, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “That’s right, I forgot you just moved here this year,” she said. “Karin and Sasuke were a thing for, like, a week last year. I think they made out or something? Anyway, Karin became crazy clingy and would absolutely not leave Sasuke alone. He ended up snapping at her during lunch one day and that was that.” Your jaw dropped. You had never seen Sasuke get angry -- slightly irritated or annoyed, maybe, but you hadn’t seen him yell at anyone.  _ Karin must have really pissed him off _ , you thought.  _ Yikes. _

“Yeah, I’d be careful, Y/n,” Sakura said, turning around from the closet. “If Karin finds out you and Sasuke went on a date, she might have it out for you.” 

You pressed your lips together in a thin line and sighed. “Good thing it’s not a date, then,” you grumbled. But you still found yourself nervous.  _ What is Karin going to do if she finds out? I mean, if she upset Sasuke that much… _

Ino placed a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, you’ll be fine! You’ve got us, and we won’t let her get anywhere near you.” You smiled at her. “But in return you have to tell us everything about your date.” She winked, and you groaned loudly.

“It’s not a date!” you said loudly, flopping back on the bed, and Sakura and Ino only laughed.

“Okay, we’ll stop teasing you,” Sakura said, holding up another dress you were absolutely not going to wear. “It’s getting late, so let’s hurry up and get you ready!” You smiled at her. Even though they drove you nuts sometimes, you swore you had the best friends in the entire world.

* * *

You had ended up compromising with Sakura and Ino on your outfit: they both wanted you dolled up in a cute dress, and you wanted to wear something simple, so you ended up in jeans and a nice blouse. You even let them play with your hair and makeup a bit -- nothing too crazy -- because you felt a bit bad about the whole situation. Date or not, you were having a one-on-one dinner with their longtime crush, and you felt the slightest pang of guilt every time you thought about it.  _ It’ll be fine _ , you reassured yourself.  _ It’s not like I’m seducing him or anything. Sakura and Ino understand. _

You made it to the new barbecue restaurant a whole 15 minutes early, but Sasuke was already there, casually sitting on a bench and staring off into space, as if deep in thought. “Sasuke!” you called out his name as you approached, and waved. Sasuke looked over to see you, and you swore you saw his cheeks flush slightly pink --  _ just a trick of the light _ , you reassured yourself. He stood up from the bench and you stopped just in front of him, smiling.

“You look nice,” he said quietly, his eyes slowly looking down your body. You suddenly felt the slightest bit self conscious about how low the neckline was on your blouse, and blushed. _ What if he thinks I’m flirting with him _ ? 

“You look nice, too,” you said quietly. He did look nice -- he was wearing a short-sleeved button down, navy blue with little white stars, and light blue jeans. You had only seen him in something other than his school or soccer uniforms maybe once or twice, and you had to admit, he looked good. And you were glad that he seemed to be dressed up to the same extent you were -- you found yourself worrying nearly your whole commute that he would be more casually or more formally dressed than you.  _ Great minds think alike, I guess _ , you thought, and mentally chuckled.

“Do you...want to go inside?” he asked, almost nervously, and you nodded. You had only just gotten there, but already the tone of the night was much different than any time you had spent with Sasuke before. Sasuke opened the door to the restaurant, gesturing for you to walk in, and you nodded graciously and entered. 

_ Is this actually a date? _


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just posted another set of headcanons, so check it out on my tumblr! And as always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (: I'm currently (5/30/2020) doing a celebration for reaching 100 followers on my tumblr, so come join the party and send me some special requests!

“Table for two?” The hostess asked, and you and Sasuke nodded. She smiled and grabbed two menus off the shelf. “Follow me.” She led the two of you to a booth, laying the menus down. You internally sighed in relief that the two of you weren’t at a table with chairs; you were nervous Sasuke would try to be a gentleman and pull out your chair or something and you’d just feel more awkward. “Your waitress will be with you in just a moment.” You and Sasuke thanked the hostess, and she walked away, leaving the two of you alone. Your heartbeat began to pick up in your chest.  _ This isn’t a date or anything _ , you reminded yourself.  _ You’re just two friends getting dinner. Calm down. _ You glanced over at Sasuke, who was engrossed in the menu, and decided to pick up your own menu and pick something to order.

The waitress came by only a moment later, and took your drink orders, leaving as quickly as she’d come. You laid your menu down on the table, already knowing what you were going to order, and smiled at Sasuke. He was still staring intently at the menu, having barely looked up to tell the waitress what he wanted to drink.

“Having a bit of trouble deciding?” you teased, and Sasuke looked up at you, somewhat surprised. He gave you a small smile. 

“Not really,” he replied. “I looked at the menu outside while I was waiting for you and decided what I wanted then. I’m just looking at all their options now.” Your heart fell.  _ Does he not want to talk to me? _

“They do have a lot of options,” you said, fidgeting with your napkin. Sasuke closed the menu and set it to the side, and it was your turn to look at him with surprise.

“Sorry, I was being rude.” He smiled again. “I’m just really nervous, to be honest.”

“Why are you nervous?” you asked, but before he could reply, the waitress appeared with your drinks, and the two of you placed your orders. It took so long -- she wouldn’t stop pitching the specials, despite both of you clearly already having decided on your meals a while ago -- that by the time she left, rushing off to the kitchen and disappearing, you had both forgotten what you were talking about.

“Well, that was annoying,” Sasuke said quietly, and you laughed.

“She really was trying to sell us those specials, huh?” You smiled at Sasuke. Something still seemed a bit off about him, and you decided it would be best to distract him from his worries. “Soccer tryouts are soon, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, next weekend.”

“Are you ready?”

“For sure. It’s going to be my senior year, and I’m really hoping to get team captain.”

You smiled brightly. “I’m sure you’ll get it. You’re an amazing soccer player.” Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.

“Since when have you gone to any of my games?”

You chuckled. “Sakura and Ino dragged me to a few soccer games last semester. They wanted me to see how hot you were, and how good at soccer, and stuff like that.” You rolled your eyes, and Sasuke smiled.

“Well, did you think I was hot and good at soccer?” He smirked at you, and you felt your face grow the slightest bit red.

“Well, I thought you were a great soccer player, for sure. I don’t know about the hot thing,” you replied. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and smiled deviously at you.

“You can admit you thought I was hot, Y/n. I won’t hold it against you.” You rolled your eyes.

“As if. Remember, I’m the only girl immune to your charms -- you can’t trick me that easily.” You grinned at him, but somehow, Sasuke didn’t seem to be as happy with your response.  _ He’s acting so odd today _ . He looked away briefly, then back at you with a smile.

“That’s alright. I appreciate that you’re not so easily swooned,” he mused. “Though I’m sure that I could get you to fall for me if I really tried.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, and saw a mischievous twinkle in his own eyes. “Why would you want me to fall for you, Sasuke? I thought you enjoyed having someone level-headed around.” He shrugged, staring out the window.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t want to lose my only friend just because she fell in love with me.” Your heart thumped just a bit too loudly in your chest, and you felt guilty, somehow.  _ I need to change the subject, this is just stressing us both out. _

“How’d you do on the math test?” you asked, and the two of you began a long conversation about the test and how unfairly hard it was. Before long, your food had arrived at the table, and you talked until it was long gone, laughing and truly enjoying each other’s presence.  _ This is it. This is how getting dinner with a friend goes, not whatever awkward mess was happening earlier. _

The bill came, and you split the tab, after a brief discussion with Sasuke about how you “didn’t want to owe him anything.” He chuckled and let you pay your own bill, the two of you tipping as much as you could afford and heading out of the restaurant, full of good food and laughter.

“You walked here, right?” Sasuke asked once you were outside, and you nodded. “Let me walk you home.” You mentally groaned, knowing your mom would ask a million questions about your “date,” but nodded at Sasuke, not wanting to walk alone and not wanting the night to end yet. The two of you headed off in the direction of your house, chatting along the way about school and other simple things.

“Can you believe we’re so close to the end of junior year?” You mused, looking at Sasuke. “I mean, our final project is due in like three weeks, and then we have finals and we’re done. It’s dizzying, to be honest.”

Sasuke nodded. “I try to prepare in advance for finals and stuff, but they’ve been sneaking up on me more and more in the past year or two.” 

You chuckled. “That’s why you wanted to finish the whole final project like two weeks early, huh?” He shrugged, smiling.

“I prefer to be prepared for things, what can I say?” You smiled.

“Better than underprepared,” you agreed. 

“Speaking of the project, we should make plans to meet up this week and work on finishing it,” he said, and you nodded.

“For sure,” you said. You grinned. “I’m sure you want to spend as much time as possible with my winning personality.” Sasuke groaned, and you laughed lightly.

“Yeah, unfortunately, I do,” he said, chuckling. You knew he was teasing, but detected a hint of sincerity in his voice.

“Good, because I enjoy spending the time with you.” You smiled at him widely, and he returned your smile, his eyes sparkling.

“Me too.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just posted another set of headcanons, so check it out on my tumblr! And as always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (: I'm currently (5/31/2020) doing a celebration for reaching 100 followers on my tumblr, so come join the party and send me some special requests!

“Hey, Y/n.” An unfamiliar voice called out from behind you, and you turned around from your locker to see no other than Karin standing behind you. Your heart pounded as you remembered Sakura’s words: “ _ If Karin finds out you and Sasuke went on a date, she might have it out for you.” _ You gulped.

“Hey, Karin. What’s up?” You put the last of your books in your bag and zipped it up, throwing it over your shoulder. It was the end of the school day, and you had plans to meet Sasuke in the library to work on your project, so you hoped this wouldn’t take too long.  _ I’d hate to keep him waiting. _

“I heard you and Sasuke went on a date this weekend,” she said, her tone accusatory. She propped a hand on her hip and stared at you. You smiled nervously.

“Nope, not a date,” you said, growing more anxious by the minute. “We just got dinner as friends.” Karin narrowed her eyes and stared at you for a moment before she spoke again.

“Well, if I were you, I’d watch out. Sasuke is such a snake when it comes to girls, and if you fall for him, all he’s going to do is break your heart.” You could hear your heartbeat thumping in your ears.  _ That wouldn’t happen...right? _ “Plus, Sasuke is all mine, anyway. I’m the only girl he’s ever dated, so I’ve got dibs.” She smirked at you triumphantly.

“I’m not going to fall for him,” you said, but even you could detect the unsureness in your voice. Karin smirked.

“Just be careful, Y/n. Our relationship didn’t exactly ‘end’,” she said, as if it wasn’t over, “in the best way, so I thought I’d warn you. You fall for him, and you’re going to regret it.”

You looked at her. “What happened with you and Sasuke? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Karin sighed, looking off into the distance. “We both got drunk at a party last year and ended up making out, that kind of shit. He knew I caught feelings for him but he ignored me, and then he ended up yelling at me in front of the whole school. It was mortifying.” You felt a tinge of sympathy for Karin.  _ She looks genuine _ , you thought. But you still weren’t sure whether you wanted to believe what you were hearing.

“Hey, Y/n,” you heard Sasuke say from behind you. He placed a hand on your shoulder and you turned around to look at him.  _ I didn’t realize he was this close to me… _ Your skin warmed at his touch, and your breath hitched in your throat, just enough for Karin to see. She chuckled.

“Hey, Sasuke,” she said flirtatiously. His hand tensed on your shoulder. “Long time no chat.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason for that,” he grumbled. You felt an ache in your chest.  _ If I fall for him, is this how he’s going to treat me, too? _ “Come on, Y/n, let’s go. We’ve got work to do.” You gave Karin one last look, and she mouthed “mine” to you, raising an eyebrow as if to dare you to try to take “her” man. You swallowed, and turned around to follow Sasuke to the library.

“Remember, Y/n,” she called after you. “Be careful.” You tensed up, and you knew that Sasuke was looking to you for context but you couldn’t manage to look him in the eye. You stayed silent for the rest of the walk.

Just before you reached the library, Sasuke stopped, standing in the middle of the hallway. You looked at him and saw a mix of emotions in his eyes: hurt, annoyance, even a bit of anger. “So, are you going to tell me what just happened with Karin, or do I have to talk to the psycho myself?” Your face fell.

“You hate her,” you said, nearly whispering. Sasuke stared at you, unmoving.

“Well, yeah, kind of,” he said. “She clung on to me way too much after...what happened between us, and I felt like I was suffocating. I don’t want her back in my life.” You felt your eyes begin to well with tears, and looked down at your feet, not wanting Sasuke to see you cry. “Y/n,” he said softly, and you knew he had seen your eyes. “What’s the matter?” He crossed over to you and placed a hand on your shoulder again. You didn’t dare to look up at him.

“Karin said that she caught feelings for you, and that’s why you hate her so much. She told me that if I caught feelings for you, you would treat me the same way.” A fat tear rolled off your face and splattered onto your shoe, leaving a wet circle. Sasuke squeezed your shoulder gently.

“Y/n, look at me,” he whispered, and you lifted your head to look into his eyes. You were surprised to see nothing but genuine empathy and even pain in them. “I don’t hate Karin because she caught feelings for me. What really happened was that I made out with her when I was really drunk and regretted it, and she spent the whole next week running around the school telling everyone we were dating and trying to spend every moment she could by my side. It drove me insane,” he chuckled sadly. “I ended up blowing up on her in front of everyone, and it made me feel awful, but she’s still obsessed with me, somehow. So yeah, the Karin situation is a...special one.” He rubbed your arm gently, and raised his other hand to brush away a tear that was slowly rolling down your face. “Plus, you’re immune to my charms anyway, remember?” He laughed gently. “So we don’t have to worry about that. But even if you did catch feelings for me, I could never hate you.” You looked into his dark eyes and saw he was being entirely genuine, and you felt a sense of ease wash over you.

“Thanks, Sasuke,” you said, with a gentle sniffle. He chuckled again and squeezed your shoulder one last time before moving away, and you felt your skin chill at the loss of contact.

“Come on, let’s get you some tissues,” he teased, walking through the library doors. You stared after him for an instant, your heart pounding in your chest, your skin on fire as you came to a sudden realization.  _ I have feelings for Sasuke. _

_ Fuck. _


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

You laid on your bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to sort out your thoughts.  _ I like Sasuke. Oh my god, I like Sasuke. _ Suddenly, it all began to make sense: how he made you feel so flustered, how you always wanted to be around him, how seeing him give you one of his rare smiles made your whole day so much better.  _ Shit _ . You covered your eyes with your hands, rubbing them.  _ What am I supposed to do? I promised Sasuke I wouldn’t catch feelings for him like every other girl, and yet… _ Your thoughts were interrupted by your phone suddenly vibrating next to you. You checked the screen and saw you had a text from no other than Sasuke himself.

_ “Hey, you okay? You seemed a bit off today.”  _ You unlocked the screen and typed out a response.

_ “Yeah, I’m good.” _

_ “Did Karin say something to make you upset?”  _ He responded almost immediately.

_ “Nope, I’m fine. Just tired.” _

_“Okay...I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Study after school?”_ _  
__“Sure,”_ you responded, locking your phone and setting it on silent mode. You stared back up at the ceiling again. _I just have to get through this project, and then we’ll probably stop being friends since he doesn’t have a reason to hang out with me. Plus, it’ll be finals, and then summer, and we probably won’t see each other during all that…_ Still, your heart ached at the thought of losing Sasuke as your friend. The two of you had grown quite close over the past month, and you had grown to like him a lot -- _more than just romantically_ , you thought with a groan. You opened your eyes, staring at the ceiling and letting the light sting your pupils for a moment, then reached for your phone. You know what you had to do.

_ “Can you come over?” _

* * *

You sat on your bed between Sakura and Ino, clutching a pillow and staring at your feet. Sakura’s hand was on your back, and Ino’s was on your shoulder, and you were glad for the stability that their touches brought.

“So you really have feelings for Sasuke, huh?” Sakura asked gently, and you nodded. She and Ino knew better than to tease you in such a serious moment, and for that you were grateful.

“Well, what are you gonna do?” Ino asked. You squeezed the pillow a bit tighter.

“I have no idea,” you said, chuckling nervously. You saw your friends exchange concerned looks out of the corner of your eyes, but you kept your gaze fixed down on the floor.

“Do you want to...be with him?” Sakura asked.

You sighed. “I don’t know,” you said truthfully. “I don’t even know that he likes me like that.” Ino squeezed your shoulder, and you turned to look at her.

“He absolutely does,” she said quietly. “Even Karin sees it, and she’s blindly in love with him.”

“Karin?” you asked, your heart pounding. Ino nodded.

“She came up to Sakura and I after school, when we were studying outside. Started asking us if you and Sasuke were a thing, and when we said no, she got mad and started talking about how you clearly liked each other and it was only a matter of time.” Ino chuckled gently.

“Then she totally switched gears and started asking about that new kid, Sai,” Sakura said, her eyes sparkling with the laughter she didn’t dare let out while you were still upset. “It was almost like she totally wrote off Sasuke. It was super weird. All this time, she’s been pining after Sasuke like crazy, but it seemed like that changed all of a sudden.” You stared at Sakura, unbelieving.

“Yeah, what happened there?” Ino said.

“Actually, Karin confronted me after school too, right after class let out,” you said. You told them the whole story of how Karin had confronted you about Sasuke, how he had shown up and pulled you away, and the conversation you had with Sasuke afterwards that had made you realize your feelings for him.

“Holy shit,” Ino breathed. “Y/n, you’ve got to tell him how you feel.”

“Why?”

Sakura spoke up. “Y/n, look at me.” You looked into her face, and saw her green eyes sparkling with -- was it happiness? “Sasuke has avoided Karin as much as entirely possible for the entire year. For him to stand up to her, on your behalf...he absolutely likes you more than a friend.”

“I totally agree,” Ino said. You took a deep breath, looking between your two best friends, both of which were smiling at you encouragingly.

“Shit, okay, then,” you said, feeling your heart begin to race in your chest. “How do I tell him?”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

“So, are we working in the library again today?” Sasuke asked. The two of you were sitting under the cherry blossom tree before school, per usual. Sakura and Ino had darted away only a moment before, making an excuse about having to work on their own project that seemed flimsy to you -- and you could tell Sasuke was suspicious about it, too. But he had shrugged it off, and you mentally sighed in relief. Your heart already felt like it was going to beat out of its chest.

“Actually, I was hoping we could work at one of our houses, maybe,” you said, not daring to look him in the eye. “We’re close to finishing, so I was thinking maybe we could do a mock presentation today? And we can’t do that in the library, so…” you trailed off quietly.

“Okay, sure,” Sasuke said. “Want to come to my house?” You nodded, picking at a loose string on your skirt. You felt Sasuke place his hand on your shoulder, and your face warmed significantly. “Hey, Y/n,” he said softly, “are you sure you’re alright? You’ve been acting kind of weird since the whole Karin situation…” You looked up into his eyes, gentle and full of caring, and your heart almost ached at his kindness.

“I’m alright, thanks,” you said, knowing your face was an unsightly shade of pink and ignoring it in the hopes it would disappear. “I’m just...not feeling well.” Sasuke nodded, moving his hand from your shoulder to place it on your forehead. You felt yourself grow even redder.  _ Shit, this is so embarrassing...he’s definitely going to figure out that I like him… _

“You do seem a bit warm,” he mused, resting his cool hand against your forehead and giving you butterflies. “Are you sure you want to work on the project today? You can take a day to rest, if you’d like--”

“No,” you cut him off, cringing at your own abruptness.  _ Wow, eager much?  _ You gulped. “I just want to get it done with as quickly as possible, haha,” you laughed nervously. Sasuke stared at you, his eyes still full of concern, but he nodded, and moved his hand from your forehead. 

“Okay, well don’t push yourself.” You nodded gently.  _ God, I need to stop acting like such an idiot. _

* * *

The school day seemed to drag on forever, and you spent the entire day on edge, unable to focus in class because you were too nervous about what was going to happen after school. You had formed a game plan with Sakura and Ino the night before, and they met you in the girls’ restroom during lunch (to avoid Sasuke, of course) to go over it, but you still felt so nervous you might explode. After what seemed like the longest day of your life, the last bell rang, and you rushed to your locker, ready to get this day over with yet simultaneously never wanting to face Sasuke and tell him how you felt.

You met Sasuke outside the school, and he smiled as you walked up to him. You could hear your heart beating in your ears. “Ready to go?” he said, and you nodded. Sasuke began walking toward his house, and you followed, falling into step at his side. The walk to his house felt twice as long as before, and the entire time you were overly conscious of Sasuke at your side, only inches away. Your hands shook nervously, and you tried to hide them behind your back as you walked. Eventually, Sasuke struck up an easy conversation with you about how Naruto Uzumaki had made the  _ biggest _ scene in chemistry that day, and you chuckled, enjoying what you knew was the last bit of time you’d spend with Sasuke as just friends.  _ Either he likes me too and we start dating, or he stops talking to me at all and our friendship is over. There’s no in between _ . The ultimatum made you dizzy, and you tried to distract yourself from it, instead focusing on Sasuke’s story and laughing along at the right moments.

You made it back to Sasuke’s house, and walked in, this time not stopping to gawk at the tidiness of the place and instead taking your shoes off and heading straight to the bedroom, right behind Sasuke. He walked in and dropped his bag off next to the desk, then headed straight out for the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” you called, placing your own bag next to his. He reappeared a moment later with a kitchen chair.

“I was getting your chair, obviously,” he said, placing it down. You smiled. Sasuke turned around and looked at you, still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. “So, what are we doing first?”

You swallowed and took a deep breath, feeling your heartbeat pick up again rapidly. “Actually, I, uh, wanted to talk to you about something, Sasuke.” You said. He stared at you for a moment, waiting for you to speak, and you fumbled to find the right words, your cheeks growing warm.

“Do you want to sit?” he gestured toward the bed, and you nodded, sitting down on the soft comforter. Sasuke sat by your side, so close you were nearly touching, but didn’t lay a finger on you. He looked into your eyes, his warm and full of concern yet comfort. “What is it, Y/n?” he asked gently. You squeezed your shaking hands together in your lap, and stared at your fingers, willing yourself to speak.

“Sasuke, I...I have feelings for you.” It felt like someone had sucked all of the air out of the room, and you felt Sasuke freeze next to you, not moving or making a sound. “I’m sorry,” you said, feeling your eyes sting with the prospect of tears. You felt incredibly guilty, and almost hated yourself in that moment.  _ He doesn’t have any other friends, and I couldn’t manage the simple task of not falling for him. I’m pathetic. I don’t deserve his friendship, and he doesn’t deserve this. _

“Y/n,” Sasuke said quietly, and you turned your face up to look at him, trying to not look as pitiful as you felt. Before you knew what was happening, Sasuke had gently pressed his lips to yours, and your eyes widened in surprise before you closed them, wanting to take it all in.  _ I’m kissing Sasuke. Holy shit _ . You leaned into his kiss, feeling his soft, wet lips against yours, and the two of you kissed for a long, sweet moment before Sasuke pulled away slowly. You opened your eyes to look into his dark ones.

“I have feelings for you too, Y/n,” he said. “But I never thought you felt the same.” You smiled, shaking your head.

“I didn’t realize it until the other day,” you said, chuckling. Sasuke smiled at you as well. Your smile faded, and you looked down at your lap once more. “I just...I still don’t want to ruin our friendship.” Sasuke placed his hand gently on top of yours, and you looked up at him again.

“Are you kidding, Y/n?” he asked, but his tone was gentle. “We’re still going to be friends. But I’d love to be more than that, too.” His eyes sparkled.

You grinned. “Like best friends?” Sasuke rolled his eyes, and you laughed. He leaned in to kiss you again.

“No,” he murmured against your lips. “I want you to be my girlfriend.” You nodded, and leaned in to his kiss, the world fading away to nothing but Sasuke and the way his lips felt on yours.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

“Y/n, honey! Sasuke is here!” You whipped your head around from your bathroom mirror in surprise. It was 6:30 in the morning, and you were busy getting ready for school. You had just barely gotten dressed, and weren’t the least bit presentable.  _ Why is he at my house? _

“Coming!” you called, placing your hairbrush down on the counter and running down the stairs. Your mom was standing by the front door, giving you a knowing look, and next to her was Sasuke, looking mildly uncomfortable. 

“Good morning, Y/n,” Sasuke said, quiet yet polite.  _ I bet my mom freaked him out with how loud she is _ , you thought, trying not to smile.

“Well, I’ll let you two be,” your mom said, winking at you and making her way into the kitchen. You rolled your eyes, and stared at Sasuke questioningly. 

“No offense, but uh, what are you doing at my house at 6:30 in the morning?” 

Sasuke smirked. “I thought I’d walk my g--” you fixed him with a burning gaze, and he coughed, understanding your look.  _ I don’t want my mom finding out he’s my boyfriend just yet. She’ll just go nuts about the whole thing. _ “I thought I’d walk you to school. Is that alright, princess?” You rolled your eyes at him, grinning.  _ Good to see he’s as sarcastic as always _ .

“I mean, I’m not leaving for like another 30 minutes, but if you want to wait…” you shrugged. “That’s fine by me. Sakura always comes over to walk with me, though. She’ll be over around 7.” Sasuke nodded.

“Alright. Where should I, uh, wait?”

You laughed. “You can come upstairs and hang out in my room.” You finished with a whisper. “My mom won’t bother us up there.” Sasuke nodded and followed you upstairs, and you led him to your room. “You can sit wherever,” you said, crossing to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Sasuke sat on your bed, looking somewhat stiff, and took the opportunity to look around your room. You knew he was taking it all in, just as you had done when you first visited his home. It felt intimate, somehow, having him in your bedroom. It made you a bit nervous, but you shook it off.  _ I’ve seen his bedroom _ , you thought.  _ It’s only fair _ .

“You have a nice room,” he mused, and you looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and smiled. 

“Thanks.” You finished brushing your hair and getting the rest of yourself ready, then turned off the bathroom light and walked over to Sasuke.

“Hey, I uh, had a question,” you said, sitting on the bed next to him. He turned to look at you, fixing his dark eyes on yours, warm and attentive. “Are we, like, telling people we’re together? Or are we keeping it quiet?” Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking.

“It’s up to you, honestly,” he said pensively. “I don’t care either way, but I know you worry that all the other girls who like me will go after you, so…” you nodded, and reached for his hand to give it a light squeeze. Sasuke smiled, looking down at your hand and intertwining his fingers with yours. You smiled, your cheeks growing warm with happiness.  _ He’s so kind. _

You thought for a moment before responding. “Let’s keep it under wraps for a while, if that’s okay?” Sasuke nodded, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

“That’s fine,” he said. “Are you telling Sakura and Ino, though? I mean, they might wonder why I’m walking you to school…” You chuckled, and he stared at you, confused.

“Sakura and Ino are my best friends in the world. I tell them everything,” you said. “They knew what happened yesterday as soon as I got home.” Sasuke looked surprised, but it faded away once he saw your smile, and he gave you a small grin.

“What about me?” he said. “Do you tell me everything?” You thought for a brief moment, then nodded.

“Yeah,” you said, smiling at him brightly. “You’re my best friend too.” Sasuke grinned. In that moment, your stomach decided to loudly announce how hungry you were, and you both laughed in response. “Want something to eat?”

* * *

Sakura showed up a few minutes before 7, and was surprised to see both you and Sasuke meet her at the door. She grinned mischievously. “Well, good morning Sasuke. Did you stay the night or something?” You turned red and glared at her, but Sakura only laughed. Sasuke looked mildly uncomfortable, and you couldn’t help but grin at that, too.

“No, I just thought I’d walk my girlfriend to school,” he said coolly, and you peeked over your shoulder to make sure your mom wasn’t listening.  _ I’m pretty sure she’s upstairs, but still...don’t want her going crazy and making us late. _ “I didn’t realize you two walked together.”

Sakura nodded. “Every day! But you can join us too, I don’t mind. As long as you guys aren’t too lovey-dovey or anything.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and you sighed.

“Not my style,” Sasuke said. “Don’t worry.”

“About that,” you said, turning to look at Sakura. “We’re, uh, actually keeping things under wraps for a while. So don’t tell anyone that we’re together, okay?” Sakura nodded, understanding immediately.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let any crazy fangirls get to you,” she said, grinning. “Want me to text Ino before we get to school?” You nodded quickly, your eyes widening as you thought about how Ino might act, and she laughed. Sakura pulled out her phone, walking toward the sidewalk, and you yelled a quick goodbye to your mom before closing the door behind you and Sasuke and following after Sakura. Sasuke grasped your hand and gave it one last gentle squeeze, smiling at you, before dropping his hand from yours and putting it back into his pocket. Your heart warmed, and the butterflies in your stomach danced happily as the three of you walked to school, and into what felt like a new beginning.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

“You’re a liar, Y/n,” a familiar voice said, and you looked up from your desk to see Karin staring at you, her hands on her hips, flocked by a group of about 10 to 15 girls in your grade, looking angry. “And don’t even think Sasuke will come save you this time,” she mocked. “He’s taking a test this period, so he can’t steal you away.” 

“Hey Karin,” you said, trying to sound bored though your heart was pounding. “I didn’t realize we had study hall together.”  _ How did she know I was here? And worse, how did she know Sasuke was taking his chemistry test right now? Is she stalking us or something? _

Karin scoffed, leaning forward to place her hands on your desk and look you square in the eye. “I know the truth, Y/n. You and Sasuke are a couple, aren’t you?”

_ Shit. How did she know?  _ You tried to play it cool, but Karin had seen the panic flit across your eyes for a brief second, and chuckled. “I knew it,” she said, before you could even muster up a response. She stood up, placing her hands back on her hips. “You think you can just stroll in and steal my man from under my feet?”

“ _ Our _ man,” one of Karin’s lackeys interrupted, but she ignored them and continued.

“You clearly don’t know how things work around here, Y/n,” Karin said. “Sasuke is mine. I took his first everything -- his first kiss, his first relationship, his virginity. You’re nothing but a footnote in the pages of our relationship.”  _ Holy shit, she’s delusional _ .

“Actually,” you said, shutting your book and putting it into your bag, “I distinctly remember hearing that Sasuke’s first kiss was Naruto, back when they were 13. And you’re nothing but a delusional witch.” Karin gasped angrily, and you stood, slinging your bag over your shoulders. “Yes, you may have taken his firsts, but first isn’t always best, is it?” You began heading out the door, leaving the angry mob behind you.

“I bet he hasn’t even slept with you yet, has he? Maybe he knows I’ll be a tough act to follow.” You turned around to see Karin grinning triumphantly, and you shook your head.

“I’m not that easy,” you said, and turned on your heel, walking quickly down the hall as you heard Karin yell after you.

“This isn’t over, Y/n! I’ll be the one to get the last word, and you know it!” You shook your head and kept walking. Once you turned the corner, you melted to the floor, burying your face in your hands.  _ Shit, what have I done? Now all the girls in my grade are going to be after me. Stupid Karin. _

“Hey, are you crying?” A soft voice said, and you looked up to see a pale-skinned boy with dark hair looking at you. He was clutching a drawing pad and smiling at you, his eyes shut. You sniffled.

“No,” you said, which was half true. You weren’t crying yet, but you wanted to. The boy sat down next to you and you bristled.  _ Who is this kid? _

“I’m Sai,” the boy said, still smiling. “What is your name?”

“I’m Y/n,” you said, sniffling again.

“Why are you sad, Y/n?” the boy asked, opening his wide, dark eyes and staring at you. You stared at your feet.

“Just drama,” you said, laughing. “Some crazy chick thinks she’s laid claim to my boyfriend and has it out for me.”

“Crazy chick?” Sai asked, and you nodded. “What’s she like?”

“Her name’s Karin, she has this bright red hair and a terrible attitude. She’s been bitchy to me but when she saw Sasuke last time she became like a different person, all shy and flirty.”

“I know her,” Sai said, and you looked at him. “She tried to tell me I had to be her boyfriend to make Sasuke jealous. She’s very...intense.” You laughed.  _ That’s right, Sakura and Ino mentioned that Karin had asked them about a new kid, whether he was single or not. This must be him. _

“Yeah, you’re right about her being intense,” you said.

“So Sasuke is your boyfriend?” Sai asked politely, and you nodded.

“Yeah. We were trying to keep our relationship under wraps, but somehow Karin found out.” You shrugged. “Here’s hoping she doesn’t turn the last few weeks of the school year into a living hell for me.”

Sai smiled, his eyes closing again as he did. You liked his smile: it was sweet and soft and genuine. “You’ll be okay. She’s got nothing on you.” Your cheeks warmed. “You don’t seem to be crazy, so I’m sure Sasuke would prefer you over her any day.” You smiled.

“Yeah, he hates her, haha. But that doesn’t stop her from swooning over him.” You shrugged.

“What is Sasuke like?” Sai asked. “I haven’t met him, but he seems to be quite popular.”

You smiled sweetly, thinking about your boyfriend. “He’s quiet and a bit of a sarcastic asshole, but under that he’s a sweetheart. He doesn’t have a lot of friends -- which is fine, because I don’t either -- so he hangs out with me, Sakura, and Ino all the time. He’s super smart and organized and probably the kindest person I’ve ever met, deep down.” You felt your heart swelling with warmth as you spoke, and you turned to look at Sai, who was staring at you, absorbing your every word.

“You love him?” he said, and you nodded.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” You smiled at Sai, and he smiled back.

“Could I meet him? He sounds wonderful.” You nodded.  _ It would be great to have another guy in the group. Sasuke could use a male friend to hang out with. _

“Meet me by the cherry blossom tree after school, okay?” Sai nodded. “That’s where my friends and I always meet.” The bell rang at that moment, signaling that the period was over, and you stood, brushing off your skirt.

“Thank you, Y/n,” he said.

“No problem! It was good meeting you.”

He nodded, smiling, and scurried off into the flow of students changing classes. You took a deep breath and headed toward your next class.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

“You ready to go?” Sasuke said, standing in front of you with his hands in his pockets. You, Sakura, and Ino were sitting under the cherry blossom tree -- the three of you had the same last class of the day, and Kakashi-sensei had let you out a few minutes early because he “didn’t have anything else to teach.” You knew he just wanted to sit and read the new Icha Icha book that had come out the day before, but you weren’t complaining.

“Actually, I have a friend who’s supposed to meet us here, if you guys don’t mind waiting a little longer,” you said, and the three of them stared at you, confused. 

“You have other friends?” Ino asked incredulously, and you laughed.

“I met someone earlier and thought he was pretty cool, so I figured I’d invite him to hang out with us. I hope that’s alright.” Sakura and Ino nodded.

“Him?” Sasuke asked quietly, narrowing his eyebrows at you. You looked up to respond, but at that moment you saw Sai behind him, looking around confusedly.

“Sai!” you yelled, waving at the boy. He smiled, walking over toward you, and Sasuke turned to watch.

“He’s kind of cute,” Ino whispered, and you shook your head, smiling at how boy-obsessed your friend was. Sasuke was still staring at you, and he didn’t look too happy. You met his eyes for a moment, silently asking him what was wrong; but before you could figure out why he was upset, Sai appeared in front of you.

“Hello, Y/n,” he said, smiling with his eyes closed. “Are these your friends?” You nodded.

“This is Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke,” you said, gesturing to each of them in turn. “And guys, this is Sai.” He gave a little wave. You looked at your friends: Sakura and Ino had already turned googly-eyed -- especially Ino -- while Sasuke was practically glaring at Sai.  _ What is his deal _ ?

“Hello,” Sai said. “It’s nice to meet you all.” He turned to Sasuke. “You’re Sasuke Uchiha. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Sasuke stared for a moment, his look disapproving.

“Yeah, I am. I haven’t heard anything about you.” You glared at Sasuke. Sai giggled lightly, not bothered by his statement.

“Well, I just moved here,” he said. “I don’t really know anyone yet. Y/n was nice enough to invite me to be her friend.” You smiled at him.

“Yeah, sounds nice. Y/n, let’s go.” Sasuke grabbed your wrist and practically dragged you away, and you frantically waved goodbye to your friends, who were staring at the two of you, confused.

“Sorry, gotta go work on the project, haha! See you later, guys!” 

“I thought you were done with your project?” you heard Sakura ask, just before you and Sasuke turned the corner. Once you were out of your friends’ eyesight, you yanked your arm away, stopping and glaring at him, putting your hands on your hips.

“Mind telling me what in the world that was about?” you asked. You were pissed.  _ I can’t believe he’d just drag me away from my friends like that. What’s his problem? _

“Why don’t you tell me what the deal is with your new friend Sai first?” he asked, his voice tinged with anger. You stared at him.

“Are you...jealous?” you asked quietly, and Sasuke turned away, not looking at you. You walked over to him and gently touched his shoulder. He took a deep breath and turned to look into your eyes, his own full of fire.

“Yeah, maybe,” he muttered, and you smiled, wrapping your arms around his waist and squeezing him.

“Don’t worry about Sai. Or any other guy, for that matter,” you said. “I am 100 percent yours.” Sasuke smiled.

“Thanks, Y/n,” he said. He paused for a moment, then said, “you know, we definitely look like a couple right now. People are going to catch on.” You sighed.

“Yeah, about that…” you told him about how Karin had confronted you, and how you had met Sai when you were in the hall, having fled from the scene. Sasuke’s eyes widened.

“Why didn’t you come get me?” he said.

“You were taking a test. That’s why Karin decided to come after me in the first place -- she knew you wouldn’t be able to ‘save me,’” you said, adding air quotes around the last part.  _ Am I so pathetic that I can’t handle a few mean girls? Wow. _ Sasuke placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Karin is going to pay for this,” he said. You shook your head.

“It’s fine, really,” you said. “At least we won’t have to hide our relationship anymore, since apparently someone figured it out.” You laughed lightly, and Sasuke leaned in to give you a gentle kiss.

“Alright, I won’t do anything if you don’t want me to,” he said. “And I’m glad I finally get to tell everyone I’m dating the most beautiful girl in school.” You swatted at him playfully, and his lips met yours again, soft and full of love.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

_ Whore. _ The word written on your locker stared back at you, its giant black letters angry and threatening to make you spill tears. You stood, frozen, in the middle of the hallway, unable to reach out and turn the lock.

“How was fucking Kakashi-sensei, huh? Did he give you that A you wanted?” A girl you had never seen sneered at you as she passed by. You gaped at her, unable to respond, confused and mortified. You had never wanted to disappear more.

“More like that D,” her friend chuckled, and the two walked away, shooting you dirty looks. You turned back to your locker, tears beginning to cloud your vision.  _ I have no idea what they’re talking about, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less _ .

“What the hell is this?” Sasuke appeared by your side, fuming as he stared at the word written on your locker. You turned to him, speechless, feeling a tear slide down your cheek and you shook your head.

“I don’t...I don’t know,” you managed, wiping your cheek.  _ Does the whole school think I slept with Kakashi-sensei or something? Who in the world would start such a rumor? _

“Hey,” Sasuke wrapped his arm around you and squeezed gently, and you leaned your head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” You shook your head.

“It’s not your fault,” you said. Sasuke took a deep breath, and you felt him slightly shaking from the anger bubbling up in him.

“Whoever did this to you is going to pay, Y/n,” he said. You stared at him. You had never seen him so upset, not even when Karin had confronted you. His eyes were fixed on your locker, and you saw they were full of fire. “Tell me your combination, I’ll get your books for you.” You nodded, whispering your combination to Sasuke so he could grab your things, and the two of you headed off to first period.

You had trouble concentrating in class all day, your mind fixated on the word written on your locker and the whispers and dirty looks your classmates gave you all day.  _ Who did this? And why? Could it have been Karin? Graffiti doesn’t seem to be her style, but still… _

Eventually, your study hall rolled around, and you dragged yourself into the classroom with dread, glad the day was half over but feeling that the first half had lasted a million years. You picked at the edges of your book, unable to focus on the words in front of you, your stomach full of butterflies.

“Well, if it isn’t the teacher’s slut.” Karin and her posse appeared in front of you, intimidating as ever. “You’re disgusting, Y/n. I can’t believe you’d sleep with Kakashi-sensei. And here I thought you ‘weren’t that easy’...” she mocked your previous words, pushing her glasses up her nose and smiling deviously at you.

“That’s a lie, and you know it,” you bit back. “I would never sleep with a teacher. I don’t know who made that up.” Karin smirked.

“You’re so far in denial, it’s almost cute. But the student body has a right to know about your little affair, doesn’t it? I’m sure Sasuke is appalled.” You gritted your teeth, staring at her.

“You did this. You passed around a disgusting rumor just because you think it’ll make Sasuke be with you instead.” Karin sighed, but the smirk never left her face.

“Ah, so you figured me out,” she said. “How intelligent. But once Sasuke hears what a disgusting whore you are, he’ll be sure to leave you.”

“So you were the one who wrote on my locker.” Karin laughed.

“Oh, no! That wasn’t me. I guess some people heard the rumor and decided to take measures into their own hands.” She shrugged, grinning. “Can’t blame them for being angry though, can you?” You fumed, clenching your fists in your lap.

“You’re going to pay for this, Karin.” She smirked.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do, Y/n? The whole school hates you, and they love me for telling them such juicy gossip. You have nothing,” she spat. You felt your face growing warm with anger, and were just about to shoot up and punch Karin in her stupid face when the bell rang. She chuckled. “Better luck next time, Y/n,” she practically sang, and she and her posse headed out of the classroom.

You gathered up your books in an angry rage and headed toward your locker. Sasuke was waiting there for you -- probably left class early to meet you. You would have melted from the sweet gesture if you weren’t so full of rage. Sasuke stared at you, wide-eyed, as you stomped up to your locker. He’d never seen you angry like this before, either.

“It was Karin,” you spat, stopping in front of him. “She told the whole school I slept with Kakashi-sensei to try to get you to break up with me.” Sasuke gawked as you spoke, and you saw him grow angry again, clenching and unclenching his fists.

“That rat,” he said. “She’ll pay for this. Get your stuff, we’re going to the cafeteria today.” You stared. The two of you normally ate outside or in one of the classrooms with Sakura and Ino, so you knew something was up.

“What are you going to d--”

“Just get your stuff,” he cut you off, breathing heavily.  _ Shit, he’s really mad. _ You nodded and opened your locker meekly, swapping out your books. The two of you headed to the crowded cafeteria, passing a confused Sakura and Ino on your way.

“Where are you guys going?” Sakura asked. You stopped to talk but Sasuke kept on, barely sparing the girls a glance.

“Cafeteria. We have business to handle,” Sasuke snapped. Sakura and Ino stared wide-eyed, taken aback by his angry tone, and quickly gathered their things and caught up to you.

“Is this about all the rumors we’ve been hearing?” Ino whispered in your ear, and you nodded.

“It was Karin. She’s trying to get Sasuke to dump me.” The two of them stared at you as you walked, nearly running to keep up with Sasuke’s pace.

“Holy shit, she’s gone full psycho,” Ino breathed, and you nodded. The four of you turned the corner into the cafeteria, where lunch was in full swing. You stopped just inside the cafeteria entrance and watched as Sasuke walked over to the sound system, a microphone and a few amps that the principal used for lunchtime announcements.

“What is he doing?” Sakura asked. You stood there, unable to move.

“I don’t know,” you said, your heart pounding. Sasuke grabbed the mic and turned it on, tapping it a few times to see if it was working. The whole cafeteria fell silent, hundreds of heads turning to look at him. You felt your face grow warm.  _ Oh my god, what is he doing? _

“It has come to my attention that there are some rumors floating around about my girlfriend, Y/n L/n, and I am here to clear them up.” People started whispering, looking at you. You felt for the second time that day the overwhelming need to disappear. “Y/n never slept with any teacher -- she would never do anything like that. The whole thing was a rumor started by Karin Uzumaki, who is still so obsessed with me that she would do anything -- and hurt anyone -- to get a chance with me. Karin,” he said, scanning the cafeteria for the girl and fixing his gaze on her, “quit being such a psycho. I never had feelings for you, and I never will. Just stay away from me and Y/n, understood?” He glared at her with such intensity, his tone so dark, that you saw Karin nod meekly.  _ Holy shit.  _ “As for the rest of you,” he said, looking around the cafeteria again, “I’m a taken man. Y/n has made me happier than I could have ever imagined, and I expect you all to leave her alone. I won’t be this merciful next time.” With that, he turned off the mic, setting it on the table and walking over to you. “Come on, let’s go.” You nodded, and followed him out of the cafeteria, Sakura and Ino in tow.

“Sasuke,” you said, once you were a little ways away from the cafeteria. “You didn’t have to do all that for me, really.” He smiled at you, and you saw his anger had begun to fade.

“You’re my girlfriend, Y/n. I can’t have people spreading disgusting rumors about you, can I?” You smiled, your face warming, and you leaned in to give Sasuke a gentle kiss.

“I love you, Sasuke,” you said, the words rolling off your tongue before you could realize their weight. He stared at you for a moment, speechless, then smiled, kissing you again.

“I love you too, Y/n,” he said.

“How romantic,” Ino said quietly behind you, and you chuckled as you turned to see Sakura swat at her.

“Shut up, you’re ruining the moment.”

“Come on,” Sasuke said, and you saw he was smiling too. “Let’s go eat, I’m starving.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

“Excellent work, you guys,” Iruka-sensei said as you and Sasuke finished giving your presentation to the class. The day had finally come to present your final projects, and the two of you had volunteered to go first, wanting the whole ordeal to be over with already. It had been a long, crazy month and a half, and it felt bittersweet to be done with it all.

“We certainly set the bar high,” you whispered to Sasuke as you headed back to your seats. He nodded with a small smirk, high-fiving you before he sat down at his desk. You walked back to your own desk, smiling at Sakura and Ino, who were whispering compliments to you about how well it had gone.

“Thanks, guys.” You smiled, settling in to watch the next presentation. You meant to pay attention, but quickly zoned out, reminiscing on how the past month and a half had turned out.  _ When this project started, Sasuke and I couldn’t stand each other _ , you thought, smiling to yourself.  _ Now look at us -- we’re in love. It’s crazy. _ You thought about Karin and how, in such a short time, you had gone from virtually unknown in your school to public enemy #1 to -- well, probably public enemy #2, behind Karin. Plenty of girls were still insanely jealous over your relationship with Sasuke, especially after he made such a scene in the cafeteria to stand up for you. But you didn’t mind -- you had Sakura and Ino and Sai, after all, and they were all the friends you needed.  _ Still _ , you had to admit,  _ it was pretty sweet seeing all the jealous girls in Karin’s posse apologize to me after the truth came out. _ Life certainly was sweet.

* * *

“Want a drink?” Sasuke handed you an ice-cold soda, and you thanked him, holding a hand up to block out the bright sun. Finals had just ended, and you and your friends were having a pool day to celebrate. Sasuke sat down in the lounge chair next to you, his pale body covered by an umbrella while yours tanned in the hot sun. You peeked over to see Ino and Sai playing in the pool, Ino chasing Sai through the water as he nervously laughed and paddled away. The two of them had just begun dating a few days prior, and though the rest of you thought they were a bit of an odd pair at first, you had to agree that they complemented each other well. Sakura had huffed for a moment about being the only single one in the group, but had quickly gotten over it -- “it’s senior year now,” she had said as soon as she completed her last final exam, “and it’s time to get more serious than ever if I want to get into a good pre-med program.” She was sitting on your other side by the pool, already studying for her advanced science and math classes she planned to take next year; she claimed she needed to have “perfect” grades senior year if she wanted to get into her dream school. You were sure she didn’t need to work so hard -- Sakura had always been a genius, straight-A student -- but she swore to keep her nose to the grindstone until she got accepted into a prestigious pre-med program. 

You and Sasuke had talked briefly about your college plans, as well; both of you wanted to go to the state college not too far from home. It was the most financially smart option, and since neither of you was quite sure what you wanted to study yet (unlike Sakura), you figured a public university with plenty of majors to choose from would be a good bet. You hoped that, by the time the two of you left for college, you and Sasuke would still be together. You were only about a month into dating, but you had never felt so deeply for someone before, and you knew he felt the same about you.

“What are you thinking about?” Sasuke asked. You turned your head to him and smiled.

“You really can read me like a book, huh?” Sasuke grinned at you. You turned your head to the sky, closing your eyes and letting the sun kiss your eyelids. “I was just thinking about the future. It’s hard to believe that in a year’s time, we’ll be high school graduates.”

“Yeah, I know,” Sasuke said. He placed a bookmark into the book he was reading and set it on the table between the two of you. “So much has changed in the past few months, I can’t imagine how different things will be a year from now.” You smiled.

“I guess we’ll just have to see,” you said, your eyes fluttering open as you turned back to him. “Come on, let’s swim.” He nodded, and you stood, taking Sasuke’s hand and walking over to the deep end. The two of you plunged in together, unafraid of what might happen in the future, and knowing that, at least for now, you each had someone by your side who would support you through everything.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, if you have requests, head over to my tumblr (@kunoichihatake) and shoot me an ask if my requests are open (:

“Phew, it’s done.” You stepped back and wiped the sweat off your forehead, surveying your dorm room. It had taken nearly all day, but you had set up everything to your liking, and the tiny, bare room had begun to feel like home. You felt Sasuke wrap his arms around you from behind, and you squeezed them gently, leaning back into his embrace.

“Now we just have to set my dorm up tomorrow and we’re set,” he said, and you both chuckled. You sighed, taking in the room and all the little details that you’d come to love over the next nine months.

“It’s so crazy to think we’re starting college in less than a week,” you said, turning around to look into Sasuke’s eyes. “Seems like just yesterday we were working on that project for Iruka-sensei’s class.” Sasuke groaned.

“Don’t remind me,” he laughed. “That thing took forever. And there was so much drama…”

You swatted at him. “Hey, that wasn’t our fault. And we started dating because of that project, don’t you remember?” He smiled, leaning in to kiss you gently.

“I do,” he whispered. “I still can’t believe I’m so lucky.” You grinned brightly.

“Y/n, honey, I got your curtains!” your mom entered the room, holding a curtain rod with your curtains, which matched your bedspread, strewn across it. You broke away from Sasuke’s embrace and took the rod from your mother, smiling.

“Thanks, mom,” you said, heading over to the window to set it up. With Sasuke’s help, you got it up in no time. You turned back to your mom.

“Well, looks like it’s all done, huh,” your mom said, beginning to tear up. You smiled and walked over to her, giving her a big hug. She squeezed you tight. “I’m gonna miss my baby,” she said quietly. You squeezed her back.

“I’ll miss you too, ma.” 

“Text me every night, okay? And visit me soon.” You nodded along.

“Of course.” 

“Okay,” your mom stepped back, wiping her eyes. “I guess I’ll head home then.” You kissed her cheek.

“I’ll see you soon, mom. Drive safe.” She nodded.

“Bye, Y/n. Bye, Sasuke. Be good while I’m gone. Don’t get pregnant or anything.” Sasuke laughed.

“Mom!” you said, laughing. “We’re paying too much to drop out because of a baby, don’t worry.” She nodded, and started heading out the door. “See you soon!” Your mom gave you a last “I love you” before heading out of your dorm, shutting the door behind her. You turned around to Sasuke, grinning.

“And so our next adventure begins.” He smiled back at you, and you knew the two of you were in for another wild ride -- together.


End file.
